Reclining-chair.



PATBNTED MAR. '5, 1907.

0. H. WATKINS. RECLINING CHAIR. APPLICATION FILED OCT.1, 1906.

I Zi- U ITED STA ORLA II. WATKINS, OFAMES, IOWA.

REOLINING-CHAIR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 5 1907.

Application filed October 1.1906. Serial No. 336.848-

TO (1,, I/Uh/UITI/ zit nuty concern:

Be it known that I, ORLA- H. WATKINS, a citizen'of the United States of America, and a resident of Ames, Story county, Iowa, have invented a new and useful Reclining-Chair, of which the following is a specification.

The object of this invention is to provide an improved construction for recliningchairs, in which the oscillation of a chairback is frictionally controlled.

My invention consists in the construction, arrangement, and combination of elements hereinafter set forth, pointed out in my claims, and illustrated by the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1. is a perspective of my improved chair, portions broken away to reveal interior construction. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of parts of the devices. Fig. 3 is a crosssection of parts of the devices on the indicated line 3 3 of Fig. 2.

In the construction of the chair as shown, the numerals 1O 11 designate front legs connected by a horizontal bar 12, said bar forming the front of the chair-frame, and 13 14 designate rear legs connected by a horizontal 1 bar 15, the front legs connected to the rear legs by side bars 16 17, L-shaped in crosssection, Fig. 3. ed 011 andare of less length than. the lateral flanges of the side bars 16 17, and said slidebars areformed. with notches 20, one in each bar, opening upward in their rear end portions. Levers 21 22 are located between the side bars 16 17 and the slide-bars 18 19 and are pivoted at their forward ends on the forward portions of the side bars. The levers 21 22 are curved upwardly at their rear ends and are connected at their rear extremities by pivots 23 to levers 24 25, intermediate of the ends of the latter levers. The levers 24 25 extend downward from the pivots 23 through slots in the side bars 16 17 and are provided with inwardly-projecting pins or trunnions 26, engaging in the notches 20 in the slide-bars. The curved portions of the levers 21 22 may rise and fall and move longitudinally in the slots in the side bars 16 17. The slide-bars 18 19 are connected by a crossbar 27, extending at its ends into mortises in the central portions of the bars, and a spring 28 connects the central portion of said crossbar to the central portion of the bar 15 and tends to move the slide-bars rearwardly. A

nected and trimmed as desired.

Slide-bars 18 19 are mount cushioning device 29 also connects thecrossbar 27 to the rear bar 1.5 andy'cushionsthe rearward movement of the slide bars. A seat-frame 30 is mounted on the slidebars 18 19 and the side bars of said frameslidingly engage the upper surface 0f-said slide-bars, except that pads or sections 31, of leather, are mounted on and fixed to the upper surfaces of the rear end portions of said slidebars and when the bottoms of the side bars of the seat-frame, and the forward ends of said side bars of the seat-frame are supported on blocks 32 in the forward corners of'the chair-frame. The u )per faces of the blocks 32 are in the same horizontal plane as the upper or rubbing surfaces of the pads 31.

The seat-frame 3 0 and devices carried thereby may be removed and replaced manually; but no provision is made for lateral or longitudinal movement thereof relative to the chair-frame. Arms 33 34 may be mounted on and connect the upper ends of the legs 10 13 and 11 14. A back is provided and is formed of sides 35 36, suitably con- Clips 37 are mounted on the outer faces of the lower end portions of the sides 35 36, and are adapted to receive the upper end portions of the levers 24 25 and detachably connect them to the sides. The back can be removed and replaced relative to the levers 24 25 at the will of the user or handler.

In practical use of the chair the occupant thereof may lean against and move the back rearward, and the result of such movement is to rock the levers 24 25 and cause the pins or trunnions 26 thereon to move the slidebars 18 19 forward by engagement with the notches 20. At the same time the rear curved portions of the levers 2 1 22 descend, said levers articulating on the pivotal connections with the side bars 1 6 17. Theweight of the seat and load thereon bearing against the slide bars holds the back of the chair in any desired position. Ordinarily the sliding engagement of the slide-bars with the bottom of the seatframe causes a squeak or rasping noise, which is eliminated in my construction by interposing the pads 31 between them. The forward movement of the slidebars 18 19 through the rearward movement of the back is effected against the resilience of the spring 28, and said spring returns the slid e-bars and back to normal position when the manual ICO leaning pressure is removed. The return movement of the back to normal position is controlled by the cushioning device 29.

I claim as my invention 1. A chair-frame formed with slotted side bars, slide-bars mounted thereon, curved levers pivoted at their forward ends on said side bars, levers pivoted intermediate of their ends on the rear ends of the first levers and extending through slots in the side bars, trunnions on said second levers engaging notches in said slide-bars, a back detachably engaging said second levers, and a seatframe mounted on said slide-bars.

2. A chain-frame formed with slotted side bars, slide-bars mounted thereon, curved ORLA H. WATKINS.

Witnesses:

S. C. SWEET, I L. LQLEIBROoK. 1 

